Way of the Cross - Via Crucis

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In the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II directed an annual public prayer of the Stations of the Cross at the Roman Colosseum on Good Friday. Originally, the Pope himself carried the cross from station to station, but in his last years when age and infirmity limited his strength, John Paul presided over the celebration from a stage on the Palatine Hill, while others carried the cross. Just days prior to his death in 2005, Pope John Paul II observed the Stations of the Cross from his private chapel in the Vatican. Each year a different person is invited to write the meditation texts for the Stations.

Stations of the Cross (or Way of the Cross; in Latin, Via Crucis; also called the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrows, or simply, The Way) refers to the depiction of the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St. Francis of Assisi and extended throughout the Roman Catholic Church in the medieval period.

It may be done at any time, but is most commonly done during the Season of Lent, especially on Good Friday and on Friday evenings during Lent.

PRAYERS and MEDITATIONS taken from the VATICAN web page www.vatican.va

The Stations are a series of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following scenes:I - Jesus is condemned to deathII - Jesus is given his crossIII - Jesus falls the first timeIV - Jesus meets His MotherV - Simon of Cyrene carries the crossVI - Veronica wipes the face of JesusVII - Jesus falls the second timeVIII - Jesus meets the daughters of JerusalemIX - Jesus falls the third timeX - Jesus is stripped off His garmentsXI - Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the crossXII - Jesus dies on the crossXIII - Jesus' body is removed from the cross (Deposition or Lamentation)IV - Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense.